This foundation year has been designed to encourage exploration and experimentation in art and design. You’ll learn to work confidently and creatively with a wide range of different materials. After completing your foundation, you’ll have the skills and knowledge you need for full honours degree study, and progress directly onto the BA Fine Art course.

How you learn

The course is suitable if you don’t meet the entry requirements for our BA/BSc Fine Art course, or you want extra preparation before starting degree-level study. You share the first year with other art and design foundation year students, then move on to the degree.

The foundation year aims to embed the creative process, and provide contextual awareness of different art and design disciplines. You will work on self-directed and collaborative projects.

You learn through

studio-based project work

assignments

workshops

critiques

lectures and seminars

self-directed study

presentations

field trips

group and individual tutorials

Course leaders and tutors

Applied learning

Degree preparation

After the foundation year, you will be ready to start the full degree. BA Fine Art is an engaging and creative course that allows you to gain a theoretical and historical understanding of art, while developing your own practice.

Placement opportunities

On your full honours degree, placement opportunities allow you to cement your skills in industry. Previous students have worked in galleries, with practising artists, in schools, and have even set up their own artists' residency in Greece.

Live projects

Throughout the foundation year, you’ll create a body of work of applied projects, and undertake independent research into art and design.

Future careers

After completing your foundation year and full undergraduate degree, you’ll be prepared for a career in

artist

curator

teacher

writer

arts administrator

technician

Previous BA Fine Art graduates that have become successful in their field include

Martin Clark, director of Bergen Kunsthall, Norway

Kid Acne, internationally renowned artist and illustrator

George Shaw, Turner Prize nominee 2011

Rosalind Nashashibi, Turner Prize nominee 2017 and the first woman to win the Beck's Futuresart prize and represent Scotland at Venice Biennale

Nick Park, Oscar-winning creator of Wallace and Gromit

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus

City Campus

City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.

Entry requirements

All students

GCSE Maths and GCSE English at grade C or 4.

48 UCAS points, including at least 24 UCAS points from one A level or equivalent, or an alternative qualification such as an Access course. Must include Art, Design and Technology, Textiles or Graphics.

Please note the University will only admit students who are aged 18 at the point of enrolment.

Fees and funding

Home/EU students

Our tuition fee for UK/EU students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2019/20 is £9,250 per year.

† If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International students

Our tuition fee for international students starting full-time study in 2019/20 is £13,250 per year.

Financial support for home/EU students

How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.

Additional course costs

This link allows you to view estimated costs associated with the main activities on specific courses. These are estimates and, as such, are only an indication of additional course costs. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.